Saint George

April 23

Saint George lived in the Middle East during the third century. Little factual information is known about his life, but some information has been passed on to us. St. George was a Christian living in Palestine before the reign of Constantine, the emperor who legalized
Christianity. It is thought that he was arrested in connection with one of the persecutions of Christians by the Roman emperor. George suffered torture and prison for the Faith and was beheaded.
During the twelfth century crusades, an Italian legend about the life of St. George gained wide popularity. It is from this legend that we get the image of St. George fighting a dragon. This legend also says that George saved the life of a princess and was the key in converting Libya to Christianity. St. George was a popular patron of the Crusaders and is held to be patron saint of England, Portugal, Germany, Aragon, Genoa, and Venice.